Sunday 21 April 2019

A Look at a Recent Nessie Video




The videos and photos are beginning to come in as human activity increases around the loch, be it tourists or those servicing the local and tourist economy. The Scottish Sun relates this event that happened on Thursday 11th April.

AN INVERNESS man has spotted the Loch Ness Monster "going at speed" across the famous loch - fifty years after his grandad's own sighting. Rory Cameron, 36, spied the strange movement in the water last week after visiting his pal nearby. And his video footage has stumped everyone who's taken a look. He said:

"I was coming from a friend's house near the top of the loch last week when I saw something in the water. It was going at some speed, I've never seen anything like it before in my life. I've lived in the area for 20 years and I've driven on the A82 every day of that time. I've never spotted anything like this. And nobody can work out what it is, it's really strange."

Rory, who's MD of Cobbs Bakery in Drumnadrochit, isn't the first member of his family to have an encounter with the elusive Nessie. He revealed that his grandad, who was a member of the police, saw something in the 1960s. He said: 

"You know, I do believe there's something out there. My grandad spotted something back in 1962 I think it was. He couldn't identify what it was back then and I'm the same now. My clip isn't like a lot of sightings, this thing was really moving fast. And it looks tiny too, compared to some of the boats on the loch. It was definitely going somewhere".

So runs the story and one may feel inclined to look and move on as the subject is not exactly close at hand. The witness was up in the hills near Drumnadrochit, so the map below gives a rough range. Where he was exactly is not clear, but he was up in the hills overlooking the bay outside of Drumnadrochit, so I would guesstimate the apex of the triangle below. One line points to Urquhart Castle which is seen to the right in the video and the object is at the end of the second line near mid-loch.


Looking at the video, a horizontal line can be drawn from the object to the castle area which suggests the object and castle are both roughly the same distance from the observer, which I place at just over a mile away. Clearly, at that distance, not much in the way of detail can be ascertained or ever produce a game changing image. But because the castle is in the video, we can use it as a ruler to make some estimates since its dimensions are known.

The height of the castle keep is about fifty feet and from this we can calculate the width of the tower to be about thirty feet. From the still from the video below, we note an area of disturbance comprising two main areas which cover a distance of about sixty feet based on the castle in the picture. Each area of "white water" disturbance are at least fifteen feet in extent.


We can further make some estimates regarding the speed of the object from the various stills. By noting the change in distance between the object(s) and a fixed point (the castle) between frames, the speed relative to the observer can be made. So, firstly, the two frames below were captured at 5.0 and 7.0 seconds on the Sun video (obviously with no break in between). Based on the change in distance in that time, the object(s) were travelling at an average speed of 15 feet per second or just over 10mph.



Applying the same approach to the two stills below captured at 13.0 and 19.0 seconds, the speed has dropped dramatically to two feet per second or under 1.5mph. Note the white blob by the castle which is a boat and by its movement, it is heading in the same direction as the the object(s) but is markedly different to the object of interest.


What might these metrics say about the object under discussion? One theory might be that these are two or more birds chasing each other as they run and flap along the surface of the water. I can see such a group dropping from 10mph to 1.5mph but I am not sure about them creating areas of disturbance at least 15 feet in extent. A group may do this and as they subside to float on the surface, this may appear as a "submergence" if they are not discernible at a mile away. One would really need to see a known disturbance made by birds to compare and contrast to make an informed decision.

From this I am pretty sure it is not a wave formation, but again the object(s) is too far away to be sure absolutely what it is but at least on this occasion we have a "ruler" to make some measurements to help.



The author can be contacted at lochnesskelpie@gmail.com


27 comments:

  1. I guess I'm sometimes always first to comment since it's still early my time when GB posts a new article. getting late at night in the UK. I guess that would be his grandfather constable Ian Cameron. You stay up pretty late GB. No rest for the wicked.

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    1. I can't remember the exact time I posted, perhaps around 11pm, not too late.

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    2. Yup, that would jibe with around my time of 3:30 PST USA. If I want to post a comment, and want it there for you all to see your time morning, I have to do so before 5:00 pm my time because I know you'll still be up to make last additions to the comments. :)

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  2. Just had a look at the video in the link. Well once again an indistinct something, too far off non event taken with a smartphone or as you all over there would call a mobile that could be anything. This is getting old and tiresome. Sorry. I want a head on a platter or a carcass on a slab at this point!

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  3. Is that the whole video or has it been cut short?

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    1. This appears to be the whole thing:

      https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=od5rPQEhwcc

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  4. Here's a better sighting of Nessie. Wait for it.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jrAkhPZhfTA

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  5. I was up there on Thurs 18th at a vantage point above Foyers and there was someone tooling around in an small power boat or dinghy with an outboard near the opposite shore.

    I couldn't make it out exactly even with a telephoto lens but it was definitely a boat of some sort and it did not look dissimilar to this video.

    One thing that stood out to me as well was the had rapid deceleration when the engine was obviously powered down. I wish I had taken a video of it now.

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    1. Get the go pro p-900 or p1000. you'll easily see anything in the loch.
      Use a tripod,unipod or a rock.

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  6. Think the clue in this video is the actual length of it.. . If u thought u saw something unusual in the Loch u wud video it longer not stop after 20 seconds.... U wud wait for it to disappear to show it wasnt a small boat.... very interesting Martin Curran u saw sumthing similar the same around the same time!!!

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    1. I wish it was me Roy, but alas, another Martin.

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  7. So frustrating - you think you have the LNM in your viewfinder and you pan OUT?? I would think any number of other people saw the same object, given its location and that may show it to be something mundane - fowl skimming the water ahead of the advancing boat by the castle, some sort of craft, even a sailboarder.

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  8. Funny that someone's playing the rather excellent 'This Is America' in the background.

    Looks interesting. Very difficult to make much out at this range. Could someone knock up a comparison with a small motor boat to remove that as an option and also to get an accurate sense of scale?

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  9. Are jet skis allowed on the loch?

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  10. Oh my goodness! Here I go again, my mind is reeling. I've been doing a lot of thinking on this whole LNM affair as to the identity of said possible creature. One poster by the name of “john” seems to think there is a menagerie of “monsters” in Loch Ness. Martin Curran. seems to agree with him. Alfred Cruickshank described a creature slithering across the road with a head abutting the body, no neck, “ I saw the outline of what appeared to be the head which was big and pug-nosed and was set right on the body  “. GB in his “ Is this Nessie looking at you” article would suggest that, plus his big exotic amphibious fish suggestion. One diver from the past described a toad-like creature on a ledge underwater, another from the past saw a alligator type creature in one of the rivers leading to Loch Ness. Steve Plambeck seems to think it's a Giant Salamander. Are we dealing with a Jurassic Park scenario here? Paranormal creature intruding into our dimension? Ah, shades of Ted Holiday. Very confusing. Nothing about this mystery is as easy as it seems! Be open minded, but question everything spurious, trust no one, except your dear old mum. What are your thoughts?

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  11. Forget about it (in a gangsters voice) It was all King Kong's fault.:

    https://www.coasttocoastam.com/article/study-suggests-dinomania-spawned-nessie-like-sea-monster-sightings/

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    1. My understanding is the paper has to do with 19th century sea serpent reports and contemporary fossil finds and nothign to do with 20th century nessie reports.

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    2. My comment was in reference to the 1933 movie King Kong, which some critics on the LNM saga, set off the Modern Loch Ness Monster Era (Craze?)

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    3. Very good skepticism John.

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  12. If this is a small power boat i think we could be looking at another hoaxer.

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    1. How could a powerboat hoax anything??
      Do you ever post anything "non skeptical?"

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  13. Its not hard John. Work it out

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    1. I'm trying to workout the dimensions of this lochness elasmosaurus.Obviously it's back area is what's being seen.

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    2. How are you able to tell it's an Elasmosaurus from this range John?

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    3. AR, john was banned for touting conspiracy theories and making groundless accusations against others. But yes, you cannot identify species of any kind with this quality of video.

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  14. Keep up the good work John.

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